WEBVTT 00:00:06.760 --> 00:00:10.699 Welcome to our podcast, Band BFFs. The podcast 00:00:10.699 --> 00:00:12.939 where we make your music selection less complicated. 00:00:13.400 --> 00:00:15.400 On today's episode, we are going to be talking 00:00:15.400 --> 00:00:18.780 about Creepin' Monsters by Chris Clark. Cheers 00:00:18.780 --> 00:00:22.079 to starting the conversation. All right guys, 00:00:22.239 --> 00:00:25.199 we love this adorable new piece. It is by Chris 00:00:25.199 --> 00:00:28.519 Clark and Chris is a friend of Katie and ours, 00:00:28.839 --> 00:00:31.960 Katie and I's, Katie and my, well whatever. Me 00:00:31.960 --> 00:00:35.460 and Katie. There we go, me and Katie. Yeah, Chris 00:00:35.460 --> 00:00:39.340 is awesome and we're excited. He has published 00:00:39.340 --> 00:00:43.420 several new pieces, this one coming to you in 00:00:43.420 --> 00:00:47.600 2026. So we're excited to talk about all the 00:00:47.600 --> 00:00:49.259 different ways that you could program this in 00:00:49.259 --> 00:00:52.740 the future. So it is in the key of E flat or 00:00:52.740 --> 00:00:56.479 C minor. It's a minute and a half long. It is 00:00:56.479 --> 00:00:59.399 written very smartly for a young band. This is 00:00:59.399 --> 00:01:01.659 a perfect piece for you to consider programming 00:01:01.659 --> 00:01:05.370 in a fall concert. with a young band or it can 00:01:05.370 --> 00:01:07.450 be something in a spring concert with a beginner 00:01:07.450 --> 00:01:10.409 band, something like that. But lots of cool things, 00:01:10.510 --> 00:01:14.409 lots of percussion in this. I think you really 00:01:14.409 --> 00:01:17.010 need minimum of probably six percussion. You 00:01:17.010 --> 00:01:18.870 could probably get creative with some of the 00:01:18.870 --> 00:01:21.609 toys and how you covered the parts. It's got 00:01:21.609 --> 00:01:25.689 flexi -tone and vibra -slap and all types of 00:01:25.689 --> 00:01:28.930 great little sound -making devices to fit with 00:01:28.930 --> 00:01:31.650 that creepy theme. But I think five to six percussion 00:01:31.650 --> 00:01:35.219 is for you here. It is, as Laura mentioned, very 00:01:35.219 --> 00:01:38.280 smartly written. The range for most of the parts 00:01:38.280 --> 00:01:41.680 is just a fifth, maybe a little bit long, a little 00:01:41.680 --> 00:01:45.379 bit more like in the flute part. But it is super 00:01:45.379 --> 00:01:48.939 cute and fun. It's marked at 120 on the metronome, 00:01:49.140 --> 00:01:51.260 but Laura and I were actually talking about, 00:01:51.420 --> 00:01:54.459 you know, if you're a group. learned it well 00:01:54.459 --> 00:01:56.280 enough and quick enough it's written to where 00:01:56.280 --> 00:01:58.420 you could like play it quicker maybe even in 00:01:58.420 --> 00:02:01.180 like cut time to make it more exciting for the 00:02:01.180 --> 00:02:04.159 kids so yeah just an opportunity for differentiation 00:02:04.159 --> 00:02:07.099 if the ability level of the group calls for it 00:02:07.099 --> 00:02:09.460 yep and that's really because so it's written 00:02:09.460 --> 00:02:14.539 very much in kind of like an umpah way so nobody's 00:02:14.539 --> 00:02:17.500 part is technically demanding they may have a 00:02:17.500 --> 00:02:19.620 measure or two where they're moving and it does 00:02:19.620 --> 00:02:22.659 have some accidentals just natural concerts but 00:02:22.659 --> 00:02:26.759 that's in almost all of the parts. Yep. But nobody's 00:02:26.759 --> 00:02:28.639 part is super technically demanding so that kind 00:02:28.639 --> 00:02:30.379 of opens it up for a little bit of differentiation 00:02:30.379 --> 00:02:33.479 with the tempo if you choose. Yep. So this piece 00:02:33.479 --> 00:02:36.580 is, again, as Laura mentioned, a great one to 00:02:36.580 --> 00:02:38.340 consider as you're picking out your literature 00:02:38.340 --> 00:02:43.159 for the year for your fall concert. It is written 00:02:43.159 --> 00:02:47.599 with lots of staccato markings on quarter notes 00:02:47.599 --> 00:02:50.680 in the eighth notes as well so that it kind of 00:02:50.680 --> 00:02:53.539 has that like bouncy light feel. If the eighth 00:02:53.539 --> 00:02:56.960 notes are moving for instance in measure five 00:02:56.960 --> 00:03:00.479 like the flute part has F to G to A flat so F 00:03:00.479 --> 00:03:03.439 and G are not written as staccato so that that 00:03:03.439 --> 00:03:05.460 way you're not trying to make your airstream 00:03:05.460 --> 00:03:07.780 be like super short while also changing your 00:03:07.780 --> 00:03:11.719 fingers. So it's written with a light style which 00:03:11.719 --> 00:03:13.780 the kids will think is really fun and sounds 00:03:13.780 --> 00:03:16.560 like it's a creeping monster. The whole piece, 00:03:16.680 --> 00:03:18.759 like Laura mentioned, starts off with this like 00:03:18.759 --> 00:03:21.819 umpah type feel. There's a little bit of a divisi 00:03:21.819 --> 00:03:23.960 part in the clarinet and the trumpet part just 00:03:23.960 --> 00:03:26.840 off by a second. So it's got kind of that, you 00:03:26.840 --> 00:03:29.860 know, cluster cord sound to it for the kids. 00:03:30.080 --> 00:03:32.300 They'll love that. The xylophone and marimba 00:03:32.300 --> 00:03:34.580 part have the same thing. So those kids will 00:03:34.580 --> 00:03:38.240 love that. So it starts off one, two, and three. 00:03:38.430 --> 00:03:43.310 four one two and three four one two and so it's 00:03:43.310 --> 00:03:46.650 fun there's a little uh trombone glissando written 00:03:46.650 --> 00:03:49.569 in going from measures two to three um after 00:03:49.569 --> 00:03:52.930 the main introduction at uh measure five we start 00:03:52.930 --> 00:03:55.689 off with some melody and flute oboe and clarinet 00:03:55.689 --> 00:03:58.830 and and yeah and the xylophone the xylophone 00:03:58.830 --> 00:04:02.430 part i think uh is is really important the color 00:04:02.430 --> 00:04:05.129 of it i think is really important in this um 00:04:05.129 --> 00:04:08.439 the melody is just real simple rest two and three, 00:04:08.439 --> 00:04:11.439 four, one, two, three, gives you opportunities, 00:04:11.759 --> 00:04:15.560 ends on a two bar phrase with a half note. So 00:04:15.560 --> 00:04:18.199 good opportunities for teaching phrasing, not 00:04:18.199 --> 00:04:19.920 breathing on the half note after the melody. 00:04:19.980 --> 00:04:21.860 The other thing that I kind of like, even though 00:04:21.860 --> 00:04:24.000 there are lots of staccatos written in this with 00:04:24.000 --> 00:04:26.579 a young band, it's a good opportunity to address 00:04:26.579 --> 00:04:29.439 how you want your staccato notes to sound, that 00:04:29.439 --> 00:04:33.680 they still need to be resonant. And I talk a 00:04:33.680 --> 00:04:36.379 lot in my band hall when we do articulation exercises 00:04:36.379 --> 00:04:38.480 and when we're it to pieces about making sure 00:04:38.480 --> 00:04:42.420 that our notes end in vowel sounds instead of 00:04:42.420 --> 00:04:45.800 consonant sounds, unless you're talking about 00:04:45.800 --> 00:04:47.959 jazz band. So we talk about everything being 00:04:47.959 --> 00:04:51.839 ah, ending in a -h or o -h or whatever your vowel 00:04:51.839 --> 00:04:56.279 sound happened to be, but ta, ta, ta, ta, ta, 00:04:56.279 --> 00:04:58.540 ta, ta so that they don't get a real immature. 00:04:59.230 --> 00:05:03.089 closed off staccato sound. Yeah and it's pervasive 00:05:03.089 --> 00:05:05.470 in this piece so definitely a skill that you 00:05:05.470 --> 00:05:07.750 have to address in your fundamentals. Yeah and 00:05:07.750 --> 00:05:10.529 when you have a young band learning staccato 00:05:10.529 --> 00:05:13.930 you know the tendency is to rush badly. Like 00:05:13.930 --> 00:05:16.110 crazy. Because they're trying to make the note 00:05:16.110 --> 00:05:18.610 shorter and so then they feel the need to go 00:05:18.610 --> 00:05:22.180 quicker to the next beat you know. I talk about 00:05:22.180 --> 00:05:25.379 this to Cato being 50 % of the note value. And 00:05:25.379 --> 00:05:28.180 so that helps them to understand like you can't 00:05:28.180 --> 00:05:30.959 rush because there's still the other 50 % of 00:05:30.959 --> 00:05:33.379 the note value remaining. It's just not being 00:05:33.379 --> 00:05:36.480 played. Um, you know, of course, if this is something 00:05:36.480 --> 00:05:37.779 you're playing with the beginner band, it might 00:05:37.779 --> 00:05:41.040 be too much over their head to like draw an eighth 00:05:41.040 --> 00:05:43.339 note and an eighth rest on the board. But if, 00:05:43.360 --> 00:05:46.300 if it's a sub non -varsity or a non -varsity 00:05:46.300 --> 00:05:48.339 band, you could go that far to just show them 00:05:48.339 --> 00:05:51.279 the mathematical that they will represent. of 00:05:51.279 --> 00:05:54.220 what a staccato can look like and should sound 00:05:54.220 --> 00:05:57.379 like to the listener. I also love in this, I 00:05:57.379 --> 00:06:00.100 know we talked about range, but the horn range, 00:06:00.279 --> 00:06:02.259 the horn and alto is really cool. It has kind 00:06:02.259 --> 00:06:06.939 of a cool counter melody line in here and the 00:06:06.939 --> 00:06:10.019 range on it is really comfortable. Like the horn, 00:06:10.060 --> 00:06:13.699 I don't think the horn goes above an A. But they 00:06:13.699 --> 00:06:17.199 do get a counter melody part with the alto that's 00:06:17.199 --> 00:06:21.860 kind of cool, but range is really developmentally 00:06:21.860 --> 00:06:25.750 appropriate. Absolutely. So, um, as Laura mentioned, 00:06:25.810 --> 00:06:28.290 we've got a four measure phrase. And then after 00:06:28.290 --> 00:06:30.709 that, uh, going into the next four measures, 00:06:30.930 --> 00:06:33.889 that's where we start to see that concert E natural 00:06:33.889 --> 00:06:37.750 comes in and it's in most of the parts. So that's 00:06:37.750 --> 00:06:40.790 a good opportunity to be teaching like your trombones 00:06:40.790 --> 00:06:43.910 where second position lies instead of third. 00:06:44.310 --> 00:06:46.910 Um, and a lot of their literatures, you know, 00:06:46.910 --> 00:06:48.769 in their development, they probably haven't done 00:06:48.769 --> 00:06:52.920 a ton of second positions yet. Um, so. but if 00:06:52.920 --> 00:06:54.639 it's like a sub -non -varsity, of course, they 00:06:54.639 --> 00:06:57.000 should be able to do that, but it's a good review 00:06:57.000 --> 00:07:00.839 for them. And again, every two measures -ish, 00:07:01.259 --> 00:07:03.579 there's a trombone glissando, so that's pretty 00:07:03.579 --> 00:07:05.779 fun just for them, and it kind of helps, again, 00:07:05.839 --> 00:07:08.279 with that phrasing that Laura mentioned, because 00:07:08.279 --> 00:07:10.639 that would be... If somebody had to sneak a breath 00:07:10.639 --> 00:07:12.680 on the second measure bar line, that's where 00:07:12.680 --> 00:07:16.199 the gliss happens. So they play it out a little 00:07:16.199 --> 00:07:19.480 louder to cover that up. Which again, I think 00:07:19.480 --> 00:07:22.500 is really smart. I like that the timpani part 00:07:22.500 --> 00:07:26.160 in this often doubles kind of the melodic aspect 00:07:26.160 --> 00:07:28.660 of what's happening in the tuba. So you get tall. 00:07:29.069 --> 00:07:32.829 ta ta ta and it's written staccato on timpani 00:07:32.829 --> 00:07:35.550 too so don't sleep on that and make sure that 00:07:35.550 --> 00:07:38.449 you are working with your percussionist on how 00:07:38.449 --> 00:07:40.870 you would want to dampen or muffle that so that 00:07:40.870 --> 00:07:43.589 it matches what's happening in the low brass 00:07:43.589 --> 00:07:47.670 as well. At measure 13, now the upper woodwind 00:07:47.670 --> 00:07:50.730 melody is taken over, or no, sorry, this is just 00:07:50.730 --> 00:07:53.670 another little recap of the beginning. Like the 00:07:53.670 --> 00:07:55.449 introduction. Yeah, the first four measures kind 00:07:55.449 --> 00:07:58.329 of come back again with the little color chords. 00:07:58.670 --> 00:08:01.850 And then at 17, the trumpet and the clarinet 00:08:01.850 --> 00:08:07.430 take over the melody. And also the low brass 00:08:07.430 --> 00:08:10.509 have it just for one measure. And then they go 00:08:10.509 --> 00:08:12.589 back to kind of not be in the melody. And this 00:08:12.589 --> 00:08:15.110 is where the horn and the alto in the tenor sax 00:08:15.110 --> 00:08:19.050 counter melody come in we see our first slurs 00:08:19.050 --> 00:08:22.850 in measure 18 in that counter melody so that's 00:08:22.850 --> 00:08:24.990 a good opportunity to just teach them that you're 00:08:24.990 --> 00:08:28.670 one layer behind or underneath the melody but 00:08:28.670 --> 00:08:30.569 still very important and you're going to be more 00:08:30.569 --> 00:08:32.669 flowy where they're the creeping monster you're 00:08:32.669 --> 00:08:35.809 just like the ambiance or the background idea 00:08:35.809 --> 00:08:40.289 but the lows are spooky ghost yes the lows are 00:08:40.289 --> 00:08:44.909 moving around a little bit at 17 like C E F G 00:08:44.909 --> 00:08:47.389 so they have to like change their valves and 00:08:47.389 --> 00:08:50.610 things like that and tongue so that's just a 00:08:50.610 --> 00:08:52.730 little side note for where your kids might be 00:08:52.730 --> 00:08:56.370 at a certain point in the year. The counter melody 00:08:56.370 --> 00:09:00.690 keeps going and again the hardest rhythm is eighth 00:09:00.690 --> 00:09:03.110 notes or like a dotted half note in this piece 00:09:03.110 --> 00:09:07.950 so written very very well for good review situations. 00:09:08.450 --> 00:09:11.169 At measure 24 the whole band has a hard cut off 00:09:11.169 --> 00:09:13.980 on beat four except for percussion, and then 00:09:13.980 --> 00:09:16.299 at 25 we get a percussion break. Yeah, there's 00:09:16.299 --> 00:09:18.419 just a little bit of a percussion feature. It's 00:09:18.419 --> 00:09:20.539 like a four measure feature before the winds 00:09:20.539 --> 00:09:24.019 join back in on beat three of measure 28 leading 00:09:24.019 --> 00:09:26.919 into 29. So it's a cute, just a little four bar 00:09:26.919 --> 00:09:30.320 percussion thing. Timpani's playing, we've got 00:09:30.320 --> 00:09:32.480 snare and bass drum playing, mallets are playing, 00:09:32.559 --> 00:09:34.559 and the accessories. So again, we already talked 00:09:34.559 --> 00:09:37.759 about needing a fair amount of percussion. Then 00:09:37.759 --> 00:09:40.539 we have a trill. Everybody comes in on beat three 00:09:40.539 --> 00:09:43.820 of 28. and we have this crescendo leading into 00:09:43.820 --> 00:09:48.840 29. Which I don't mind a two beat trill. Alright. 00:09:48.860 --> 00:09:51.200 I'm okay with that. She gives, she grants permission. 00:09:51.419 --> 00:09:52.519 Chris, congratulations. Because if you've listened 00:09:52.519 --> 00:09:54.899 to this podcast before, you know I hate trills. 00:09:55.279 --> 00:09:58.039 And it's just one, and so it's for effect, and 00:09:58.039 --> 00:10:00.080 it's short and sweet. It's only in the flute 00:10:00.080 --> 00:10:02.679 and oboe and clarinet, right? Yeah, just on this 00:10:02.679 --> 00:10:06.179 little moment. I'm okay with that. We don't have 00:10:06.179 --> 00:10:08.200 a trill in the xylophone, so I'm okay with that. 00:10:08.200 --> 00:10:12.299 That's right, that'd be the end. And then at 00:10:12.299 --> 00:10:17.299 29, the melody goes back to the horn, alto tenor, 00:10:17.340 --> 00:10:20.659 and those low voices as well. Now they get the 00:10:20.659 --> 00:10:22.799 actual melody. So instead of just having the 00:10:22.799 --> 00:10:26.049 melody for a measure, now they get the full four 00:10:26.049 --> 00:10:29.370 bar melody. And meanwhile, the other winds are 00:10:29.370 --> 00:10:32.750 resting. So this is like an exposed melodic part 00:10:32.750 --> 00:10:35.669 for those voices with percussion accompanying 00:10:35.669 --> 00:10:38.820 them as well. At the end of those four measures 00:10:38.820 --> 00:10:42.539 there's another little two beat trill in the 00:10:42.539 --> 00:10:44.860 upper woodwinds again and a little cluster chord 00:10:44.860 --> 00:10:47.720 in the trumpets to kind of bring out that little 00:10:47.720 --> 00:10:50.679 effect with a crescendo written underneath. So 00:10:50.679 --> 00:10:53.139 it's good to just teach the kids to stay again 00:10:53.139 --> 00:10:56.419 underneath that melodic part but it's a fun little 00:10:56.419 --> 00:10:59.779 moment. Back to the low brass and low reeds and 00:10:59.779 --> 00:11:03.500 horn and alto at 33. They have another little 00:11:03.500 --> 00:11:07.669 four measure melody. And then we're back, we're 00:11:07.669 --> 00:11:10.889 all the way to the end now at 37. It's back like 00:11:10.889 --> 00:11:13.610 the beginning for four measures, literally. And 00:11:13.610 --> 00:11:15.610 then at the end we've got that cute little two 00:11:15.610 --> 00:11:18.450 beat trill starting on beat three. And then the 00:11:18.450 --> 00:11:21.409 ending is one, rest, three, rest. And the only 00:11:21.409 --> 00:11:23.690 people who play on three are the low voices. 00:11:24.250 --> 00:11:28.110 So it just starts real, ends real spooky and 00:11:28.110 --> 00:11:31.360 cute too. So this piece is just precious. It's 00:11:31.360 --> 00:11:34.559 written really well. It's got enough repetitive 00:11:34.559 --> 00:11:37.179 stuff to make it easier to teach, but a lot of 00:11:37.179 --> 00:11:40.919 good concepts that are appropriate for review 00:11:40.919 --> 00:11:43.200 and revisiting at the beginning of the year as 00:11:43.200 --> 00:11:45.440 you're prepping. If it's like a sub non varsity, 00:11:45.480 --> 00:11:48.220 non varsity, a younger band, this is perfect. 00:11:48.580 --> 00:11:51.340 If you wanted to play this at the end of the 00:11:51.340 --> 00:11:54.340 beginner year, that would also be super fun. 00:11:54.399 --> 00:11:56.809 And again, if If you learned it quick enough, 00:11:56.970 --> 00:11:59.389 you could go faster on it just to like keep it 00:11:59.389 --> 00:12:02.330 exciting and interesting. But I mean, your kids 00:12:02.330 --> 00:12:05.409 are sure to love it. It gives me mechanical monster 00:12:05.409 --> 00:12:07.730 vibes and everyone will kind of, I mean, you'll 00:12:07.730 --> 00:12:09.490 know that as a frame of reference, but it does. 00:12:09.649 --> 00:12:11.809 It kind of, it gives me, it gives me those types 00:12:11.809 --> 00:12:15.309 of vibes. Yes. Well, we hope that you will consider 00:12:15.309 --> 00:12:18.129 programming creep and monsters in the future. 00:12:18.169 --> 00:12:20.389 And thank you for joining us on this episode 00:12:20.389 --> 00:12:22.750 of Band BFFs.